Luciano Frattolin murder motive for killing 9 year old daughter tied to girl’s mother having full custody of their daughter, Melani, and on the day of her death, the father had been scheduled to return the girl to her mother in Montreal, Canada.
A motive for the killing of a 9 year old girl at the alleged hands of a Canada father is thought to be tied to the fact that on the day that the daughter was found dead, her and her father were scheduled to return to Montreal, where the the girl would be handed back to her mother, who had full custody of the girl.
Luciano Frattolin, 45, appeared in court on Monday, shackled in a white jumpsuit, with the father pleading not guilty to second degree murder of his daughter, Melani Frattolin.
Melina Frattolin cause of death ruled to be asphyxiation by drowning (body found hidden underneath log in shallow pond)
JUST IN: Video of Luciano Frattolin, 45, who is charged in the death of his 9-year-old daughter, Melina Frattolin. pic.twitter.com/CzSTcwI6WL
— WNYT NewsChannel 13 (@WNYT) July 21, 2025
Luciano Frattolin owed $200K, couldn’t make child support, blamed daughter
The girl’s body was discovered in shallow pond waters in Ticonderoga on Sunday, less than 24 hours after the father reported the girl kidnapped by a ‘white van.’ Police issued an Amber Alert for the missing girl only for it to be cancelled after Melani’s body was discovered circa 4 p.m, Sunday afternoon.
Police later concluded that the alleged abduction was bogus and fabricated following inconsistencies in the father’s story line.
Authorities allege that he killed the little girl on Saturday while they were traveling home to Montreal, Canada, before reporting that she had been abducted.
Luciano and Melina had spent the week on vacation in New York, after arriving in the U.S on July 11, with the father set to hand custody of his daughter back to her mother on Sunday, July 20th, officials said.
Melina’s mother had full-time custody, and had been estranged from Luciano since 2019.
Frattolin and her father had visited New York City and were in Saratoga Springs on Saturday evening just hours before the murder happened. Frattolin, who was seen on surveillance video at 5:30 p.m. that evening, had called her mother from Saratoga Springs shortly after that to tell her the trip was going well and they were preparing to return home.
Why did Canada dad kill 9 year old daughter?
Police said several hours later, around 10 p.m., Luciano Frattolin called police to say that he had pulled over near Lake George to urinate and that when he returned to his vehicle, Melina was missing. He also reported a suspicious white van with two men inside leaving the area.
Less than 24 hours later the missing girl would be found deceased.
The cause and manner of death of the 9 year old girl was now pending the results of an autopsy.
Police have not officially determined a motive, however the timeline laid out by cops at Monday’s press conference suggest that the alleged murder came as Luciano was set to give custody of his daughter back.
He is now facing charges of second-degree murder and improper disposal of a human corpse, NBC5 reported. The father was ordered held at the Essex County Correctional Facility until a felony hearing on July 25.
The father who had been estranged from Melani’s mother since 2019 had no prior criminal record or domestic violence charges.
Frattolin, who was born in Ethiopia, is the founder of a Montreal-based company called Gambella Coffee, according to the company’s website.
The entrepreneur described his ‘beautiful’ daughter as ‘the light of his life’ and his ‘inspiration’ in the bio on his company’s site.
Anyone with information about Frattolin’s disappearance should call the Warren County Sheriff’s Office at 518-743-2500 or 911.
